Good MorningAll~~The thread hit 26 so I decided to start another one. We used to start them at 25 to 27. I also found out something else by email yesterday, someone told me that you don't have to go back into edit and fix it every time we start a new thread. That's good news. I just thought of something, does it make every thread, (not ours) run to one page too???? I'm in the process of doing my nails while I write to you all. I need to take them off and start again but I'm just filling them until just before Christmas. My candy come out really well. Glad that is over with. Got to go to post office and get some in the mail. I waited as late as I can so it will be fresh as possible for Christmas.

Tobey~~I have a question for you, "Have you ever heard of a radio statione called CFRB??? I turn on the radio every night when I go to bed and it is the first time I ever got a station from Canada. It was a statione from Toronto. I was shocked. The news was on, all I can remember is something about the schools and some kind of sign in resterants. It didn't stay clean very long. Hope your in a better mood today, maybe some sleep helped. I'm sure you'll end up enjoying your company. It may sound crazy to you, but we are a people who can't take those pop in guest like that. I thank it's because we thank our house has to be perfect for company, after all we aren't perfect, so we try to make every thing else around us perfect. Does that seem true for you? Maybe not since your thin now. But you can bet us fatties still feel that way. grrrrrrrrrr You be a good girl and maybe next Christmas Santa will bring you some fudge.

Jen~~I don't know your age, but If I stayed in bed as long as you did my back would break off at the waist. My back hurts after 7 hours of being in the bed. Enjoy it while you can. It's not just age, I do have a bad back. The dolphins used to be my team too, back when Larry Zonka (spelled wrong) was playing. I don't pay any attention to football anymore unless it OU. I had rather fool with the puter to waste time. I don't know if my fish like their new home or not, they swim all the time just about. I guess swiming to a fish is like standing to us. They do rest some. I've got room for one more Betta in my tank, 3 appartments. I may put another fish of some kind in with each one of them. Depending on the cost and how pretty they are. Thats vain isn't it??? They have to be pretty or I don't want them.

Marybeth~~Good to see you back in here. Also glad your MIL is doing better. Thank goodness your hubby is being more supportive with your Mom, that means so much. I haven't put up my tree yet. I'm thanking of holding off until my Grand daughter gets here. We are going after her on Thursday evening. She likes to help me. Last year my hubby and she put it up, and I must say it had looked better. Way to go girl, RED is the perfect color for a size 12, ~~CONGRATS!!!!!~~

Skeeter~~See...We just get all worked up over company coming and it useally always goes find. Glad you enjoyed the day. Well what do you know, my pets aren't the only pains in the Bu##!! Jens cat sneezes in her face, you dog throws up on your feet....I don't feel so bad about having to take Neon and Cleo out of the tank to feed them. Last night they ate 8 pellets each in the cups. I'm hoping they will settle down in time. But one thing is for sure, I don't have to worry about getting any food in the tank. There is no way to stop the reflection in the tank, the little buggers is just going to have to ajust, it thank they are getting better already. More thank likely they will go nuts again when I get another fish.

Jo Jo~~The only wrapping I have left to do is Kassie's and Sherrie's. I try to wrap theirs really pretty. I can't even put Christmas paper on my Son's kids gifts. I use solid colored paper on theirs. I'm like you I can't remember the last time I wore a size 12 in anything. Must be nice. I would settle for a size 16. I wish you had a ISP like mine, it is one of the best I ever had. I've messed around and walked off and left my puter on line and they never knock me off. I'm baking something called "Hello Dollie's" today, have you ever heard of them. They are to die for. It's not candy and it's not a cupcake, and it's not a cookie, but somewhat kin to all of them. You mix up a batter first sort of a cookie dow put them in a cup cake pan and bake for 15 min, then you add the filling which consists of nuts and cho.chips.

I just went in to take my fish out of the tank so I could feed them in about an hour. I got Cleo out just find and then went to looking for Neon, the lil Sh#* hid from me behind a shell. I'm going to tell you something, if you thank fish don't have a personalty, thank again. I went a head and fed Cleo right then and he ate 10 pellets. I finally coaxed Neon out and he ate 4 pellets in the tank. Neon thanks he's a stud. Cleo is more mellow. I'm sorry talking about my critter, blame Skeeter, she caused me to get them. I loved the time I spent with you this morning, but it's time for my breakfast. Bye Bye for now.

Hello all

I am in a much better frame of mind today. Our guest is here and he is actually fun to have around. He is very independent and doesn’t expect to be waited on. Today he is exploring the city on his own and is going to meet me at my office later so that I can take him to a theatre bookstore that is around the corner (he is an actor and playwrite). I guess because he is a bachelor he doesn’t realize that calling so late is a real inconvenience. That’s why men need women. I also need to teach him to keep the toilet seat and lid down – poor kitty cat almost went for a swim this morning! I think I forgave him when I walked up to him yesterday and he didn’t even recognize that it was me. I think that is the biggest compliment someone can give.

Jen: I LOVE macadamia nut cookies! I don’t dare make them or bring them into the house. It is one of those foods that I can’t exercise any self-control over. I could sit down and eat them like a bag of popcorn! Oh I have to stop – I am drooling just thinking about. Yes our snow is all gone now. It really has been one wacky winter. Can you imagine having to mow your lawn in December?! Good luck on your exam tomorrow! And have a fun evening with mom.

Mb: I am so glad that you were able to check in. I’m sure this Christmas will be extra special you and your family. And I have to say CONGRATULATIONS!!! A size 12! See the scale go down is one thing but it doesn’t feel anything like fitting into a smaller size! Way to go! I hope everything in your life continues on a up swing.

Skeeter: It is amazing how you can alter you health just by doing good things for yourself like quitting smoking, etc… Your post made me laugh out loud when I read it. Since he is a bachelor, I’m sure he wouldn’t have even noticed a dirty toilet or some dust. I just can’t stand not having a spotless place when people come over. I think I have my mom to blame for that. I don’t think he will stay much longer than Friday as he as to make it see his mom for Christmas. To his credit, he did thank us for allowing him to stay at this time of year. He is a sweet guy – just inconsiderate. If that makes any sense. Like I said I just think he needs a woman to keep him in check.

Jojo: Gift bags are the best. All you needs is some tissue paper and ribbon and voila – a beautifully (and easily) wrapped gift. Or even better yet, I like the stores that offer free gift-wrapping – although I shopped too early this year to take advantage of that. I think Play Dough toys are great. Our office is collecting toys for a children’s charity and I brought in a Play Dough set. One of the guys wanted to break it open and start playing – and to tell you the truth so did I! But we were well behaved . After all Santa is watching. Yes I am one of the annoying people who will bend over backwards for someone and then b*tch to someone else about it. I normally don’t mind doing things for people as long as they appreciate it. I think that is why I am feeling better now that our guest is here. He has thanked us and is very complimentary on my cooking, ect… I don’t feel like we are being taken for granted.

Marlana: Thanks for starting a new thread. How on earth can you work on your nails and a post at the same time? I knew that you were a talented lady but that is ridiculous! I have listened to CFRB before. I am very surprised that you were able to pick it up as it is an AM station. It is an all talk radio station. Dh likes to tune it that station to listen to the hockey games when we are out of the house. The big debate about the restaurants is that they are forced to post a sign in the window show the details of their last health inspection. I think it is a great idea but the Restaurant Industry says that it is misleading. I am completely with you – I can’t stand the “pop in”. I do want everyone to think that I live in this clean fantasyland. I don’t know why. Trust me – I am far from perfect!!! I love hearing your fishie stories. It is amazing that all animals, even little fishies, all seem to have very distinct personalities.

Well that is all for now. I doubt that I will have a chance to post tomorrow. As most of you know, I have my root canal scheduled for then (thanks for all the well wishes by the way). So have a good one!

Tobey

Good morning! I finally managed to crawl my butt out of bed this morning (at least it's still morning!) and get busy. I have so much I wanted to do today, and here I sit. Oh well, this was on the list too. I think 3-4 nurses called in last night so you can imagine how fun work was. I heard that the agency nurses are calling in because they don't want to be floated. What is that? We'll just stop using them and they'll be out of a job. Anyway, I'm tired of this crap, so I put in for a transfer to a part time position last night. I figured my monthly expenses, and I can actually get all of the bills paid on 16 hrs/week. No money for groceries, but I always get a few extra hours without trying. I'm never out when I'm scheduled to be. Somehow, I've managed to get myself in a pretty good position already. The position I put in for is 4hr shifts, either 3-7pm or 7-11pm 4 days a week. I will probably work more 3-11 than the 4 hrs, but it will be my choice to do so. I will also get "incentive pay" of $25-$50 per extra 4-8 hr shift that I pick up. So I will actually make more to work the same hours, and it's up to me if I want to work that much. And now I could pick up another part-time job if I wanted, to see what else is out there. Might as well start using the nursing shortage to my advantage! sorry to ramble so much.

The lovely cat that sneezed in my face woke me up last night hacking on a hairball while she was on my pillow! I was able to toss her on the floor before she got it up. But then she did it again, but jumped to the floor herself. What I put up with. YUK!

Tobey- I broke down last night and had a couple of those darn cookies. And that was after I had a few of the Frango mints that my surgeon's office sent over to the unit for xmas. I had to eat 'em, I earned it! I went to bed and read a little in the book. I got so worked up, I couldn't sleep, and I was sooo tired. "I AM A RUNNER!" Well, not yet. I have to work up to running again, but I like the 10 week plan to run 30 minutes. Did you use that? I'm glad things are going better with your guest. Good luck tomorrow with your teeth. I'll be thinking of you.

Marlana- That is amazing that you heard a station in Toronto an Tobey new exactly what it was talking about. So cool. Your fish are quite the characters aren't they? By the way, I'm 28 so I can still stand to sleep for hours, but my hips bother me. I've been to an orthopedic doc and he said my muscles in my butt are attached in the wrong place and they put extra stress on my hips. If I lay just right in bed, they about slip out of joint. Another reason to exercise. He wanted me to do therapy 5-6 times a week!

Marybeth- Welcome back! With all you got going on and the holiday to boot, I'm glad you found the time. Is your mom doing better? CONGRATS on the size 12! Put a little extra swing in your step in that red skirt so everyone notices!

Skeeter- I'm glad your visit went well. I forgot about you having more company after the holidays. It's always nice to get together with everyone once in a while. You've still got the a/c on? Incredible. Do you usually have to use it all winter? I've never been to Florida. Maybe someday....

Jojo- You must be trying to kill me with all of those yummy treats. I actually have a recipe for a cookie called choco-mint pillows. It's something like a sugar cookie that is filled with an andes mint candy. That has got to be yummy. I'll have to let you guys know!

I should go get my butt in gear, so much to do, so little time. And the last thing I want to do is study for my final that is tomorrow morning. Then I'm on vacation!!!

Jen

Hello Y’all

Well I couldn’t believe it when I got on the scale at our WW mtg. today, I loss 1.6 pounds and that brings the grand total to 55.4 pounds loss!!!! I am sooooo happy! That makes that size 12 skirt even sweeter.

Sounds like everyone is as busy as a one arm paper hanger these days. I’ve got lists that have lists. I still have to finish the wrapping but will wait till tomorrow night for that as hubby will be working. I’m still trying to find someone to check on the kitties while we are in MI and let’s not even talk about the fact that the kitchen floor needs cleaning still and laundry done.

A good friend has her pinning ceremony tonight as she has completed her nursing degree. She is already working as a surgical nurse at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital. So, I’ll be late getting home tonight and have to finish some Longaberger computer work for my January newsletter so I can get it printed tomorrow.

Well, got to run things are getting crazy around here this afternoon and the boss keeps popping in on some issue or another…
Marybeth
241/185.6/160

Hey everyone.

Geesh, another busy day. I was doing pretty good today after our 2 mile walk and we were invited out for seafood. Then I was very bad. It seems that I have gotten on this vicious eating cycle and can't get off.

Tobey~I am glad that you are enjoying your company. He sounds like a nice fellow. My company paid me a great compliment also. They said that my house still had that " new smell". They were fascinated with my fish and talking about how clean the tanks looked. That's when you know that the cleaning was worth it. I sure hope that all goes well tomorrow for you.

Jen~I turned the a/c off this evening because the temps have dropped to the 50's. We have always run the a/c off and on through the winter here. Today is our typical winter with highs near 80 and lows in the 50's at night. I am looking forward to a couple of really cold nights to get rid of these dang mosquitoes.

Marlana~The anticipation of some of our company is usually stressful because of our imaginations. The actual visit is usually pleasant and we feel guilty about our nasty thoughts. I guess it serves us right for having such nasty thoughts about people that like us well enough to want to visit us. You taking your fish out of the tank is about as bad as me trying to cut those little tiny pellets in half for Leon. He doesn't eat very well and acts like the pellets are too big for him. I think that we treat our fish better than most people. They are very lucky that we chose them. I just got your email as I was typing this and it is said that good things come in threes.......I got your letter 3 times. So I read all three of them just for good luck.

JoJo~I'll try to remember to send you that recipe for the hash brown casserole this weekend. My daughter and her kids and maybe my son and his are supposed to come this weekend. Then my mom and dad sometime after Christmas. Our friends from New York are down for the whole winter so it is going to be a constant fight to get back OP and stay there.

Marybeth~WTG on the loss. You are just amazing. At this rate, you will soon be down there in those tiny sizes with Tobey. You and Marlana sure can come up with some cute sayings.

Well ladies, it is getting late and I am getting sleepy. I have an appointment with a new doctor tomorrow and then a bunch of errands while we are in town. If I make it here it will be later in the evening. Y'all have a good day tomorrow.

Good Morning~~WELL...Da** I just bumped a key on the key board, don't know which one and pooff what I had wrote to you all was gone. Boy what a way to start my day. I've got a doctor's appointment this morning for blood pressure. I can tell him sometimes it high, sometimes low. I have a log of the times of the day. I also have a hacking cough that the medication has caused. It wasn't that bad the last time I went to Dr. but has got worse. Tomorrow it's off to Okla City to get Kassie. She will be here until the Sat. after Christmas. Boy will I be ready for a break then.


Tobey~~Glad your in a better frame of mind. I knew your company would turn out OK. I must say you have some interesting people in your life. What is it with men and the toilet lid???? They probably thank that we are bad because we leave the lid down. I'll do you a favor and not go there with the toilet habits. It is a problem working on the nails and trying to post too. First of all I get the acrylic on them and then type. You know how when you have your nails done that they sand them pretty quick and all that stuff rolls up on them, well when you let them dry longer they don't do that. All I know is that they look very nice this morning. I just done a fill. That was a A M station I got on the radio.

Jen~~You have a stressful job, I've heard it is one of the most stressful jobs around. I can't believe that they would pay anywhere in Okla. more incentive pay than they do in Ill. My daughter gets 100.00 incentive pay for a 8 hour day and 50.00 for 4 hours. They are so short on nurses here. Oh gosh I'm glad I've got fish and not cats. Sounds like it gets messy with them. I used to love cats when I was a kid, but don't care for them much now. I like them at the barn to catch mice. Fish seems to be my cup of tea. I like your plan for working hours, why work more hours for the same pay. At 28 I couldn't sleep late either, I had two small children. You know 28 is a very good age...women and men are better looking between the ages of 25 and 30. It's true.

Marybeth~~YOU GO GIRL, ANOTHER WEIGHT LOSS..1.6 POUNDS, AND 55.4 GONE FOR GOOD!!! I'm empressed. A one armed paper hanger is busy, a lot like a one armed paper hanger in the wind. It is hectic this time of the year. Did you sell many baskets for Christmas?

Skeeter~~I'm on that same eating cycle your on, but today I'm trying to break it. I've been eating too much sweets. Wonder why you got three of the same darn letter?? My puter or yours? Did I tell you I love the screen saver and it hasn't caused me any problems at all. Another good thing going on with this puter, the virus control I have right now is working good. If you got the letter 3 times, why didn't you answer 3 times.

I've got to run and get ready to go to the doctor. Got lots of things to get done today. First I go in one direction to go to doctor and then back the other direction to go shopping. Make the most of this day.

Hello Ladies

Well my root canal was actually quite easy. The hardest part was just keeping my mouth opened that wide for that long! It only 1 ½ hours. The dentist originally thought it would take 2. My freezing has warn off and really don’t have much pain at all. In fact I could have gone to work the afternoon – but I didn’t . In stead I have been doing some chores around the house and spending some time with our company – he is napping right now. I baked what appears to be the most wonderful LF Cinnamon Nut Coffee Cake. I can’t wait to try it. It is only about 170 cal per slice and just over 1 gram of fat (from the nuts of course). It tastes half as good as it looks, I will have to post the recipe.

Jen: I agree – what’s with those agency nurses? I would think that they would be happy to be called in. It sounds like that PT gig would work really well for you. My mom works a similar deal in a Nursing home. Technically she is considered PT but there are weeks that she will work all seven days. Your kitty is so nice at leaving you presents. I guess you should just be thankful they are coming from that end! YUCK! Isn’t that first section of that book inspirational. I didn’t start calling myself a runner until I read that part. Now, yes, I tell people – I AM A RUNNER! I didn’t use the run/walk plan. Unfortunately I didn’t discover this book until well after my half-marathon. I was one of those (silly) people who went gung-ho from the beginning. I had the sores knees to prove it. Luckily I no longer get sore knees. I am doing really well and find that I get stronger every week. In fact this week, my mileage will total 20 miles (I’m already at 15!). I am using some of her pace and stride workouts. They are fabulous for increasing speed. They are also great to do on a treadmill as they ward off boredom. I hope your exam goes as well as my root canal did. HAPPY VACATION!

Mb: Over 55 pounds?!?!? C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! You have done so amazing and now you are so close to your goal. I know how you feel – my lists also have lists. Although I think I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope you had a nice time at the ceremony last night.

Skeeter: Hey it sounds like both are company turned out to be alright. So why do we get ourselves so worked up? I wish I could be more like dh and just go with the flow. I more have to ease into the flow. Well if you are going to be bad with food at least your exercise should help you balance out a bit until you can break this cycle. Hope your dr’s appointment went well.

Marlana: That’s the problem with medication – you can either have high blood pressure or you can hack a lung up – your choice. I once had a urinary tract infection that I had to take antibiotics for. And you wouldn’t you know it, the pills made me feel worse than the infection. The toilet lid thing really gets on my nerves because I had dh trained before we lived together – lid down and dirty underwear in the hamper (not on the floor). I guess you have to get ‘em when they are young and still impressionable. I am so impressed that you do your own nails. I need to have a fill done too. I just don’t want to make an appointment as the salon I do to is in a VERY busy mall. I might have dh drop me off one day just so that I don’t have to worry about try to park. I just read that you are going shopping today. YIKES good luck!

Well I think that it all for now. I think I am going to go and do some prep work for dinner. I think I will even be able to eat solid foods for dinner (had soup for lunch).

Have a great one!

Tobey

Hi Everyone
I didn't get in here yesterday cause we had dbil's 50th birthday last night and didn't get home till 9:00 and I just watched tv after that.

Hope you are all having a good week. Mines been pretty good but we've had sewer problems. The rooter co. was just here and blasted out our sew line. They were here yesterday for almost 2 hours with the eel but they hit a thick root that it wouldn't cut thru and we may have to have a by-pass line put in which will cost us around $1000. What they did tonight seemed to help but we'll see how long. This is such a bummer. We've decided that until we know what we are going to do, dh said he'll take the laundry over to his moms to wash and we will dry it here. Its a hassle but....it could be worse.

Tobey, I'm glad your root canal went ok. I've had several and only once did the dentist finish it in one visit. I'm glad things are going well for you with your visitor and he's not a bother. I hate it when you get company that expects you to wait on them hand and food.

Marlana, I'm thinking that maybe next month I might say goodbye to AOL and find another internet, probably a local one. AOL raised their prices and its costing me $5 more a month because it comes out of my checking so its about $28 a month for me now. I may as well add a little more to that and get the DSL but I can't really justify that either. How did your visit go with the Dr? Did he change your bp meds?

Skeeter, maybe with the walk your lunch won't hurt you to bad. That is one benefit from exercising, you can eat a little more. I am anxious to see what that hash brown casserole is.

Marybeth, a one armed paper hanger huh? That sounds like a rough job.

Jen, I hate hair balls!!! My cat is a semi-long haired kitty so she gets those quite often. I hope your new part time schedule goes into effect really soon. Gosh, I don't blame you if you can make about as much as you do now with just some extra hours and the incentive pay. I wish the state would offer us that option. Ha, not in this lifetime.

Well, I've got to get off here now. Take care everyone.

Yay!!! I'm on vacation, at least from school. This is the first break I've had in a year. I took correspondence classes last spring and during our short break in August. After xmas and once all the hub-bub is over I'll feel like I'm forgeting something. It'll be nice, but strange. I hope I don't get too used to it! I don't really know how I did on the exam, it's hard to tell. I think I did fair though. Some of it sounded familiar, some of it was educated guessing! As long as I pass the courses at this point I really don't care what my grades are! My manager called this morning while I was gone, because she got my request to transfer to PT and wanted to talk about it. I'll still be working the same amt of hours, I'll just be choosing when. If she doesn't want to give me PT, I'm sure another floor will. Whatever works. I went shopping with one of the gals from school after the exam. I didn't buy much, but I did find a nice veggie steamer to give to bf. He wants to make steamed asparagus with hollandaisse sauce. I also got him a george foreman grill. Maybe I'll be able to talk him into cooking dinner for me! My dear sweet kitty woke me up again at 4:30 this morning. I haven't figured out why, but she was trying to "bury" something on the pillow. I looked all around, but no trace of any presents! She must've just felt like she needed some new way to wake me. I hate to think of what she'll come up with tonight.

Jojo- Ugh, sewer problems don't sound like any fun at all. Is yours a city line? How did you know you were having problems, or should I ask? Just wondering, everything else around here is falling apart, I'd better keep my eyes open. I'm lucky, my cats are all short hair, but if each one has a hairball once every 2 weeks, that works out to every other day. It seems like alot. YUK! YUK! YUK!

Tobey- So glad everything went well for you. I have to schedule myself to have my crown put on. I've got a tooth that has started bothering me again. Might as well while I'm off of school. I ran some yesterday, did the breathing the way she says, the 3:2 ratio. I don't have a single sore muscle today, and no side stitches at all. Very cool. I was planning on running around the neighborhood to see everyone's lights, but I'm a little tired. I may make it my "rest day" and go again tomorrow. I've been up since 5:30 am, it's 7:30 pm now. I wouldn't be up to par anyway.

Marlana- Yeah, some of those BP meds have the cough side effect. It should let up some. What did your doc have to say about your BP log?

Skeeter- Those surprise invitations and holiday goodies are just vicious this time of year, I'll agree. I think that I've fallen into a similar pattern. I always say, I'll start over tomorrow. Pretty soon tomorrow will be the day after xmas and I'll have no more excuses! Aren't you getting more company then?

Marybeth- Wow, you go girl. How are you managing to do this during this time of year? Incredible. Be very proud of yourself. You follow the points don't you? How does that work? Is each point so many calories? Just curious. Remember to add the swing in the skirt!

Gotta go, should make a little dinner and maybe read before bed. Early to bed, early to rise...oh I hope!

Jen

Morning Ladies,
I've been trying to catch up on the posts and now I don't have much time to post myself. Hope everyone's doing well, and sounds like you all are, right here before the holidays. I'm not taking any time off til after Christmas. The girls are out a couple of days without daycare before they start their new school, so I'm off the 7th & 8th of Jan. All our shopping is done now, and almost everything is wrapped. I had a wrapping frenzy last night while the girls were watching Disney and Jeff was on Ebay (I forgot to ask if he bought anything, but he did ask for my password--maybe I better check! ) He's Ebay challenged, anyway. I wanted some Lucy stuff--you know, the Vitameatvegamin doll and stuff, since Lucy is my hero. Jeff came running in all excited one night cause he had won a Lucy doll for me really cheap; well, there was a reason it was so cheap. It was a Lucy DOME, not a doll. So we now have a lovely cake-topper. It is kind of cute, though. I told him to wear his glasses next time he bids on something.
Jen, how's the heaving cat? My inside kitty ran out last night and didn't come in til this morning--and it was cold last night, too! Silly thing. I used to have a kitty who would leave me presents on the bed, too. Hope you get the part-time work! I'm thinking of going parttime myself in the next year or so...our bills seem to have calmed down some, so I think it would work. I made those Andes mint cookies last week!! They were yum!
Tobey, glad the root canal went well! I've never had one, but they just SOUND bad! Enjoy your company, and how was the cake?
Mama, how're the fishies? I saw a Betta condo at the Petsmart (can't say that too loud--they shaved off my little Maltese, and it makes him nervous ) but it cost a lot. So we went with the three bowls. Your candy sounds wonderful!
MaryBeth, how's my sister Zilla? Sounds like the size 12 Zilla is doing very well, especially for this time of year! Congratulations! I have a couple of size 12 dresses I can wear now, but mostly still 14s. Oh, I have to tell you something funny....I couldn't find any clean laundry this past weekend--fancy that, since I'm the only one who DOES the laundry--anyway, I found an old pair of jeans that I wore last year, and put them on Saturday. They fit sort of loose, which I thought was nice, but by the end of the day, I could walk out of them! They kept getting longer and longer, and I finally stepped out of them in the kitchen. I guess I may finally be done with the 16s!
Skeeter, how are you doing down there in the warm weather? It's gotten cold here the last few days. I actually had to scrape the windshield yesterday before work...first frost we've had in a long time!
JoJo, how're you?? We had AOL for a long time, and I didn't like it at all. We got rid of it, but I still get those CDs with all the free hours wanting us back. You might shop around a bit...there are a lot of ISPs now. Back when I first got my computer a few years ago, there were only one or two. I think we may be headed for septic tank problems ourselves. We have one very "slow flusher" in one of our bathrooms. I dread it, cause Jeff always wants to do home repairs himself, and he's very good at most stuff---I just don't know about tearing up the yard and working on septic tanks, though. I'm sure he'll try it before he calls someone.
I'm absolutely sure I missed someone--I don't have the contacts in and I'm still sleepy! Hope everyone has a wonderful day! We've been bringing food all week in my office, and I've been making myself sick, literally! Why do we do that? I got very ill last night, and I still feel queasy today. I think a soup lunch is called for today. Plus I'm nervous about my ex getting his papers this week. I signed them Tuesday, and I must say they are a masterpiece....if I get what they call for, I will be a very happy mom. Not just money, cause he'll never work and pay support, but just the part about leaving us ALONE. But having it all unsettled and not knowing when he will get them and start raising ##**, and theatening to take my girls away from me, makes me very very ill. Okay enough of that!
Love you all, and talk to you tomorrow!
Sally
224/165/120ish

Good Morning~~This one will be short this morning, I've got a lot to do this morning before I leave for Tulsa. I want to get to town and have lunch with my friend. I got my meds increased for the BP yesterday, just the one at night. My pressure was lower this morning when I got up. In fact I hated to take the one I take at 5:00 am, my pressure was already 1134/71, and I have had problems with my pressure dropping out on me. Once takeing a trip to the hospital with my pressure at 70/40. Not a fun thing at all. After today I will have from one child to 3 all the time until the Sat. after Christmas. Add me to your prayers.

Tobey~~I'm so glad you come out so good with you dentist appointment. I bet your glad that is over with. I'll be showing up at your house later today for some of that coffeecake and and cup coffee. I don't drink much coffee, but I'll will for the cake. I got my hubby when he was young, but all we could thank about was sex. Just being honest. Nothing he done bothered me then, but 39 years later, the picture has changed a little.

Jo Jo~~Don't even say that sewer word in here. Mine is working find now, but I haven't forgotten the last time it was acting up. I hope what you had done works for you. More than likely it will for a while. AOL is 28.00 now, gosh, I wouldn't pay them 10.00. I just don't like them at all. I would love to have a dsl, but it's too much money. I just plan on getting a faster puter in the next couple of years.

Jen~~You nurse's have it made as for as job security. They are so desperate for them. They bend over for my daughter. Even told her she didn't have to come into work until after she took her child to school. I thank your kitty is more trouble than my fish. I'm getting another one today, but that will be it!!

Sally~~The candy was way too good. I mailed some of it out of here, otherwise I was in trouble. I've never messed with ebay, I don't trust people enough to order anything. I would be the one who got crap. I like to bid on things though. I used to go to a site and bid on jewelery. I finally got a ring and was over joyed. I was really over joyed when I never received a bill on my discover card for it. I don't know what the heck happened. The ring ain't that great either.

I've got to get with it here. I guess I'm going to be ok with the blood pressure meds, I'm still alive and kicking and it's been over an hour since I took this mornings meds. Y'all have a great day.

Good morning ladies!!

I am happy to report that my tooth hasn’t bothered me at all. I haven’t even had to take an Advil or anything for it. It is like I didn’t even go to the dentist all. I am so lucky to have such a great dentist. She is called me at home personally yesterday evening to see how I was doing. I just had to tell her what a great job she did. I can drink hot fluids and eat solid food without feeling a thing! I am in such a good mood this morning – just 2 more days until VACATION! Then I am off until January 7th. Our guest is leaving first thing tomorrow morning so we are going to take him out for dinner at the Sushi restaurant in our neighbourhood. The he and dh are going to go see Lord Of The Rings. I am going to pass, as I don’t like staying out to late when I have to get up early the next day.

Jojo: How was the birthday celebration? Your sewer problem doesn’t sound like much fun at all! I am very thankful that I have such a great dentist. I couldn’t imagine having a root canal done over several visits. That sounds painful. Our guest has turned out to be okay. But I have to admit I can’t wait until he leaves. Our place is just too small for three people. We were 25 minutes late leaving this morning just because of bathroom line-ups. Glad I get up first!

Jen: So how does VACATION feel? If your manager is smart she will give you PT and not risk losing you to another floor. It seems your kitty is going a little squirrelly. I hope she didn’t burry any gifts that you’ll find later. I will also have to get a crown on that tooth but the dentist said there is other work she wants to get done first so the temporary filling will have to do for now. I can’t say that I like that a whole lot. It feels like there is rough drywall on my tooth. But I can only feel it when I run my tongue along it. So I just have to stop doing that Glad to hear your run went well! That book is just loaded with such good advice. Sounds like you are starting to addicted though! I don’t run well in the evening either. I always try to either get my runs in early in the morning or at lunch. Yesterday, I got up at 5:30 so I could get in a 4-mile pace run before my dentist’s appointment. Dh thinks I’m crazy. But I just hated the idea of missing a run. I don’t think you are too far behind me. Better watch out!

Sally: I was laughing out loud about dh’s e-bay experience. At least he had the best intentions. Oh the cake turned out soooo good. Our guest ate 3 pieces yesterday! I didn’t bother to tell him that it was LF and made with WW flour. Shhhhh…. I will have my fingers crossed for when the ex gets his papers. I hope you get what you want and he gets what he deserves! Stay positive and enjoy the season and your family!

Marlana: I hope you have a nice lunch today. This is such a great time of year to get together and enjoy friends. 3 wee ones running around. Ohhh – I won’t complain about my one guest who can amuse himself! Good luck! I wish you could have come over for some of that coffee cake. It is one of the best LF cakes I have ever made. It has pecans sprinkled over the top – but I bet it would be amazing with your black walnuts. I will try and get a chance to post the recipe over the weekend.
I just peeked out the window and the sun is shining. I haven’t seen that for 2 or 3 days – it has been quite wet here (with rain not snow). It looks so pretty out there. Well, I must be off and get to work. Enjoy the day.

Tobey

Good afternoon! Today is a good day. I feel so full of energy. I think I'm just overwhelmed at the idea of no school for 5 weeks. 5 whole weeks!!! I talked to my manager this morning and she's going to let me go PT. I told her I would be working more than the 16 hrs a week, I just wanted to choose when. It'll start when I go back to classes in January. YAY! And would you believe my precious little kitty let me sleep all night long! It must be my lucky day!

Tobey- I'm glad to hear that you feel back to normal today. I'm going to schedule my dentist appt after the holidays. Wow, you get a great vacation too. I hope you enjoy it! I'm off tomorrow and I'm sure dear bf is going to take me to see Lord of the Rings. He saw it yesterday and thought it was great. I went running again today. I'm not sure how far, but I decided I would run til it started to get uncomfortable. It never did. By the amt of time I was gone, I would guess about a mile or so. Not too bad!

Marlana- Hey hon, if your pressure gets that low again, lay on the floor on your back, but your feet up as high as you can stand it, and call 911. The last thing you should be doing is sitting upright. Another fish today? Will that be the one to fill that empty apartment? Do your fish notice that they have neighbors and stare at each other through the glass?

Sally- Glad to see that you made it in today. I bet your poor kitty froze her tail off last night. The poor dear. I haven't gotten to the andes cookies yet, but I have made many others. I'll do more tomorrow and this weekend.

Well, about time for lunch, and I've got laundry going, and then work. And I'm off tomorrow. What a great day!

Jen

Hey everyone.

I went to see my new doctor and I really like her although she makes me feel so large. That is a strange feeling for someone that is only 5'1". She is shorter than me and blonde and very slim. One of the receptionists looks like a Playboy centerfold candidate and the nurse that did my workup looked like her sister. She told me that she was only filling in for my doctor's regular nurse because they were attending their Christmas party in shifts. After seeing the doctor, her regular nurse was back and bless her but she looks more like me with more gray hair. We didn't get home last night until about 7 and I was beat and only read the posts before getting ready for bed.

Tobey~I'm so glad that you have a good dentist that knows what she is doing. Dental work is not supposed to hurt that much. I am so thankful that my teeth are healthy although I do have a few missing in the back but not enough to matter. I was horrible again today with food but I walked at a faster pace this morning and went 2 1/2 miles. I had to walk fast because I wore a short sleeved shirt and a vest and it was 40 degrees. I warmed up in no time and it was just beautiful out there. The boys enjoyed themselves too.

JoJo~I'm glad that you mentioned that recipe for the casserole. I had forgotten but will send it as soon as I post this. Now it is very fattening but a big hit at parties. We just got some bad news too about our house. The termites are trying to move in with us so we will have to treat it for them and it will also cost us $1000. That seems to be a common repair bill and I sure don't like it. My new doctor also wants me to have a complete blood workup done , a bone density test, a chest x-ray and EKG the first of the year. That is also when my deductible goes up to $250 a year. The only good news that I got was that my lungs sound really good. Remember that I smoked for 33 years so that sounds good to me.

Marlana~I did answer three times, didn't you get them? Must be a glitch in my computer again. I cleaned all my fish tanks again today although I only started out cleaning one. The largest tank looked awful because the live plant was dying and fouling the water. After I was finished with that tank, I just went ahead and changed over half the water in the other two then washed the bowl out too. Now they are all good for a week or more if need be. I sure like all the little attachments that I have been seeing but the little boy writing Happy Holidays on the window has to be about the best. You'll have to get the little ones to play some games or something so you can have your normal computer time. Hope you have a good time with them.

Jen~Hurray for you. You won't know what to do with all that free time. Then again you seem to have chosen a great way to use part of it by running. That is such good news that your boss made a wise choice about you going part time. I have gotten into a pattern that I can't seem to break yet. We keep getting pulled into going out to eat with our friends that just arrived for the winter. We are going to have to soon say no and think of an alternate plan or I am going to be a blimp. I got an email from my folks that still doesn't tell me when they will be here. They are going to Dallas, New Orleans and then to Pensacola, Fl and will let me know from there. All I know now is that it will be in January.

Sally~Sounds like you have everything under control for Christmas. It is too bad that the ex had to start some garbage during the holidays. Let's hope he gets everything that he deserves and you get the satisfaction and peace of mind. It has been very warm until two days ago. I turned the a/c off on Tuesday and the heat on this morning. I will have to turn it on again tonight as there is a chance of frost tonight. It feels good though and I love it as long as it doesn't get much colder.

Well ladies, I started this in the afternoon and am just now finishing it. I need to make a couple of calls before Survivor comes on. Then it is TV for me tonight. Y'all have a great evening.